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Declining Academic Fields in U.S. Four-Year Colleges and Universities, 1970-2006
- The Journal of Higher Education
- The Ohio State University Press
- Volume 83, Number 4, July/August 2012
- pp. 582-613
- 10.1353/jhe.2012.0027
- Article
- Additional Information
This research identifies 22 fields that declined in absolute numbers and/or prevalence over a 35-year period. Most were basic fields in the arts and sciences. Steep declines were evident only in a few fields, notably European languages and literatures. Larger, higher status, and historically liberal arts oriented institutions were less likely to drop declining fields.